How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
[…] we shall not attempt to give the reader any idea of that tetrahedron nose, of that horseshoe mouth, of that little left eye, obscured by a bristly red eyebrow, while the right was completely overwhelmed and buried by an enormous wart; of those irregular teeth, jagged here and there like the battlements of a fortress; of that horny lip, over which one of those teeth protruded, like the tusk of an elephant; of that hooklike chin; and, above all, of the expression, that mixture of spite, astonishment, and melancholy, spread over all these features. Imagine such an object, if you can. (I. V.33)
Okay, so the narrator is having a little bit of a go at the reader here. He tells you that he's not going to attempt to describe Quasimodo's face to you, but then he totally goes ahead and does it. Then, to top it all off, he tells you to imagine it "if you can." As if you can't, after a description like that. But why go through that whole song and dance? Well, even though we might like to pretend that appearances don't matter, we're actually really eager to hear about how grotesque and messed up Quasimodo's face is. It's so messed up that your imagination can barely handle it. The truth is, as readers, we're totally going to imagine it, and we're probably going to enjoy every minute of it.
Quote #2
[…] two elegant, delicate, charming creatures, whose small feet, handsome shapes, and graceful manners he admired, almost confusing them in his imagination. (II.IV.16)
Gringoire definitely has an, um, unconventional relationship with Esmeralda's goat. While most of the characters in the novel are taken by the gypsy's beauty, in Gringoire's mind Esmeralda and the goat are just as beautiful. He even confuses them here. It just goes to show you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It also makes us question Gringoire's judgment as a poet: shouldn't a poet know the difference between a woman's beauty and a goat's? We love goats just as much as anyone, but this seems a little weird.
Quote #3
Pressing her hands on his shoulders, she looked at him intently for a few moments, as if hypnotized by his handsome face and grateful for the timely salvation that he had afforded her. (II.IV.24)
Notice that Esmeralda is first hypnotized by Phœbus's good looks, then grateful that he just saved her from being kidnapped. Isn't it convenient when your hero also just so happens to be drop-dead gorgeous? Compare Esmeralda's reaction her to her reaction when Quasimodo rescues her from the crowd.
Quote #4
He was, in truth, bad because he was wild; he was wild because he was ugly. (IV.III.10)
Wait, what about all those lessons you were taught as a child about beauty being internal? Isn't Quasimodo supposed to be one of those stock characters who are ugly but misunderstood? Well, Victor Hugo is not going to make it that easy for us. Being despised all of one's life tends to make people kind of mean. What we have here is a vicious cycle: because Quasimodo is ugly, he becomes bad; then his ugliness becomes a reflection of his badness.
Quote #5
She opened her eyes, looked at Quasimodo, and instantly closed them again, as if horror-stricken at the sight of her deliverer. (VIII.VI.103)
Man, wasn't it easier when Phœbus was the one doing the saving? But alas, Esmeralda can't have her cake and eat it, too. While earlier in the novel it was easy for her to match up good looks and noble behavior, now she's going to need to shift some paradigms. Will she be able to?
Quote #6
"When I compare myself with you, I cannot help pitying myself, poor unhappy monster that I am! I must look like a beast to you. You, you are a sunbeam, a drop of dew, a bird's song! I am something frightful, neither man nor animal, something harder, more shapeless, and more trampled upon than a pebble." (IX.III.9)
Contrast! Juxtaposition! Step right up and see the ugliest person alive with the most beautiful person alive! By using the extremes of the spectrum, we get to really see just how much emphasis society places on beauty and ugliness. Coincidentally, these two characters were switched at birth—remember the story of Paquette la Chantefleurie?
Quote #7
Gnashing his teeth, he said, in a low tone, "Damnation! That is how one should look, then! One only has to be handsome on the outside!" (IX.IV.15)
Well, yes. If there is one thing we've learned so far in this novel, it's that appearances seem to matter more than personality. Now, folks, this is not the lesson that you should be taking home from this. Obviously, the characters are wrong and shallow to judge things in this way. But the point is, isn't it hard to just ignore appearances? Like, Esmeralda knows that Quasimodo is good, but honestly, she can barely stand to look at the guy. It may be that appearances are inescapable, as much as we try to tell ourselves otherwise.
Quote #8
One was in a bright, beautiful crystal vase, that was cracked. The water with which it was filled had run out, and the flowers were dried. The other was a pot of course, common stoneware, but it retained all its water, and the flowers in it were fresh and fragrant. I do not know whether it was done intentionally, but La Esmeralda took the faded nosegay and carried it all day in her bosom. (IX.IV.54)
Metaphors are great, aren't they? Unfortunately, this one is lost on Esmeralda. To spell it out for you viewers at home, the crystal vase might be beautiful, but it sucks at what it's supposed to do. The earthenware pot might be ugly, but it gets the job done. Esmeralda, however, goes for the dead flowers from the crystal vase. Essentially, we can see whom she prefers between Phœbus and Quasimodo.
Quote #9
"I tell you, I belong to my Phœbus, it is Phœbus I love, it is Phœbus who is handsome! As for you, priest, you are old, you are ugly! Go away!" (XI.I.67)
You might be inclined to think that Esmeralda is shallow for how she clings to a jerk like Phœbus, but really, this line packs a mean punch. The whole reason Frollo is obsessed with Esmeralda is because of her beauty (come on, it's not like he's obsessed with her winning personality). Think about that: beauty is the entire reason for everything he does. And so what better way to tell this guy off than to throw his logic straight back at him? If Frollo is going to love people based on their appearances, then so is Esmeralda. That may just be the way things are. And Frollo ain't no Phœbus.